Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez yesterday said the two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in NCR Plus shaved a percent of the country’s P18 trillion gross domestic product – equivalent to P180 billion that caused the displacement of 1.5 million workers.
At the Laging Handa public briefing yesterday, Lopez said until herd immunity is attained through vaccination and an effective home treatment or medication on the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is available, “we will move forward and backward (on quarantines).”
Lopez said even if NCR Plus shifts to general community quarantine, activities and establishments that encourage mass gathering and super spreader events will likely remain prohibited.
Lopez said a new survey is being done to determine the number of establishments that have closed during the ECQ between March 29 and April 11.
The National Capital Region alone accounts for 32 percent of the economy.
“Once we shift to GCQ – assuming cases will drop, healthcare capacity is in surplus, contact tracing is improved and isolation of suspected cases is stepped up – we will continue to prohibit gatherings and non-essential travel and activities,” Lopez said.
But he noted the significance of relaxing to MECQ in recovering the 500,000 jobs lost, with a million workers possibly going back to work once GCQ is implemented.
In the restaurant business alone which has 2 million workers, Lopez estimates half of establishments have yet to fully operate, leaving 1 million of their employees either displaced or working irregular hours.
Lopez noted the surge in COVID cases can be attributed to communities, households and transportation and not in workplaces though they contributed 20 percent to the numbers. – Irma Isip
